debrak_2008, Why not simply add a recirculation system to your hot water line? This will ensure every tap in the house has almost instant hot water. gates1, I don't think you'll get much build-up from powder detergents. For the most part, when you add water to a substance and then evaporate the water, you're left with the original substance. Liquid detergents are so gooey and sticky that they are bound to cause build-up problems in the detergent drawer as well as the machine. I've never had powder detergent cause build-up in the drawer, ever, and it's unlikely that it would cause problems in the washer either. I also think overuse of cold washes and fabric softener are definitely factors. Fabric softener is released during the final rinse. That means whatever is left in your machine after the final rinse will evaporate and leave a slight oily residue in its place. If the next wash uses cold water, it's unlikely to pick up that residue and may actually deposit more residue on top. I think this whole issue starts and stops with fabric softeners and liquid detergents. Hot water washes in themselves don't necessarily solve the problem, but can prevent it from happening in the first place by limiting the amount of residue left in the machine. Cold water washing exacerbates the problem because it is not hot enough to remove the fabric softener/liquid detergent buildup left from the previous wash/rinse. Use powder detergent, dilute the fabric softener or use less, and wash regularly on HOT. For those using liquid fabric softener, it may be advisable to start your "laundry day" with a load of whites on the HOT cycle and progress to cooler cycles and darker colors. The reason for this is simple. The last time you did laundry, your machine had a very slight fabric softener residue left in it from the final rinse. To have the best shot of removing that residue, start out with a HOT wash.

Stumbled across this item while surfing this morning. Just as so many laundry mavens here are pulling their hair out about sudsing problems, here's the latest feature from Samsung....copied/pasted from their site.....the site that advertises on this forum.....on this thread: "PowerFoam� Technology for foam you can see, clean you can feel PowerFoam� is an exclusive Samsung technology that creates a deep-cleaning foam that�s gentle on fabrics. PowerFoam� washers fill the drum with foam � created from HE detergent, water, and air � during the wash cycle. Foam penetrates fabrics more deeply, thoroughly and up to 40 times faster* than detergent in conventional washers so you can confidently wash large and bulky loads like king-size comforters. *Based on tests using AHAM HLW-I-2007 detergent standards." Here is a link that might be useful: Samsung foam

Heater will NOT engage in normal no matter what. I often use wrinkle free for clothes, husband's dress shirts, sometimes towels. This will not allow a max spin though. I use extra white for white sheets/towels/socks. Usually with extra warm or hot temp and sometimes extended and/or prewash. I have used custom for kids' clothes warm with a max spin speed. I have used express for bathing suits/towels after a day of swimming. A little Vaska on express and everything is fresh for the next day. These items don't really need to be washed daily so express is great (30 minutes). I have used delicates/hand wash for ... well delicate items. This setting works great. More soaking less tumbling. I have used woolens for wool sweaters also great. I LOVE the comforter setting. It will "vent" the item(s) first - wet them thoroughly before it adds the detergent. Very smart. I almost always use the sensitive setting which uses a higher spin speed between wash and rinse and uses an extra rinse. I don't like too much residual detergent smell (if possible). I've used clean machine. I used table linens a few times for table cloths - not really sure what makes that setting good for them. They turned out just fine. The only program I was not thrilled with was the dress shirts one. It only does a medium spin and left the shirts quite wet. I prefer wrinkle free for them (but that's me). I have used prewash and extended. If items are noticeably dirty I use a prewash. I have used extended if I think they need a little longer tumbling. The more agitation the better the wash. Shorter cycles are not the answer for clean items. Gosh ... have fun and keep us posted on how it's going.

I don't think that the higher water levels on old FLs were the reason you didn't experience mold. If you leave the door open, ocasionally wipe the gasket down, use the right kinds and amounts of detergents you should not have any problems with mold no matter how low the water level is. Keep in mind that many complaints on this and other forums are due to misinformation of the users. Many people never read the manual, don't leave the door open and use way too much detergent. All of those things contribute to the problems with stinky washers. I have only had my new FL for three and a half months now, but I have used FLs for many years in Germany. They have the same low water levels and didn't develop any mold builup in the drum. Ocasionally, I had some smelly gunk (lint and hair) in the gasket, but just cleaning it with some dish soap took care of that. I have never used bleach and from my experience a FL does a much better job at getting rid of nasty smells than a TL. I find that true for both American and European FLs. I don't think you'll have to worry about mold since you already know how to use a FL.